Allergy testing device and method of testing for allergies

ABSTRACT

An allergy testing system comprises a skin test device having a grip portion for holding the device. One or more legs extend from the grip, and each leg is oriented to interact with a well containing a potential allergen. Each leg has a test head, and each test head has a plurality of elongated spike members. The elongated spike members have a sharp end configured to receive the potential allergen from a well and to puncture a patient&#39;s skin. In addition, each test head has at least one touch activator. The touch activator is longer than the plurality of elongated spike members, such that during an allergy test, the touch activator comes into contact with the skin prior to the elongated spike members, causing the touch activators to activate nerve tissue that blocks transmission of pain, resulting in a reduction of pain and/or discomfort during testing.

RELATED APPLICATION

This Application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/689,686 filed on Apr. 17, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/925,258 filed on Jun. 24, 2013, now U.S. Pat.No. 9,011,350, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser.No. 13/308,111 filed on Nov. 30, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,469,900. Theabove applications are incorporated fully herein by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to reducing pain in a skin testingdevice system commonly used for applying test solution, such as liquidantigens, employed in skin testing for allergies, to patients' skin viaskin test devices that have sharp pointed ends.

BACKGROUND

Skin testing to identify potential allergens that a patient may beallergic to is well known in many forms. The person conducting the skintesting may apply a relatively large number of test solutions to apatient's skin. To perform skin tests of this type, the personconducting the skin test typically places the skin test devices into atest solution such that a small amount of test solution adheres to thesharp pointed ends on the skin testing device via capillary attraction.The loaded skin test device is then pressed into a site on the patient'sskin in a predetermined sequence. However, the sharp pointed ends of theskin test device may cause discomfort to some patients and much pain toother patients because the sharp pointed ends must penetrate theepidermis of the skin in order to get meaningful allergy test results.The discomfort and/or pain caused by the testing can be traumatic forthe patient and disruptive to the nurse or doctor administering thetesting.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In an exemplary embodiment, an allergy testing system is disclosed. Theallergy testing system comprises a skin test device and a plurality ofwells, each having a reservoir for receiving test solutions such aspotential allergens or controls. The skin test device can have anelongated grip portion for holding the device. A plurality of legsextends from the grip, and the plurality of legs is spaced and orientedto contact a corresponding well containing the test solution. Each ofthe plurality of legs has a test head, and each test head has aplurality of elongated spike members. The elongated spike members havesharp ends configured to receive the test solution or potential allergenfrom a well, for example via capillary attraction, and to puncture apatient's skin to deliver the test solution or allergen. In addition,each test head has at least one touch activator. The touch activator islonger than the plurality of elongated spike members, such that duringan allergy test, the touch activator comes into contact with the skinprior to the elongated spike members, causing the touch activator toactivate nerve tissue that blocks pain transmission resulting in areduction of discomfort and/or pain during testing. Each well reservoiris sized and oriented to receive a separate test head of the allergytesting applicator.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, given the benefit ofthe following description of certain exemplary embodiments disclosedherein, that at least some of these embodiments have improved oralternative configurations suitable to provide enhanced benefits. Theseand other aspects, features and advantages of this disclosure or ofcertain embodiments of the disclosure will be further understood bythose skilled in the art from the following description of exemplaryembodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To understand the present disclosure, it will now be described by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a skin testing device in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a magnified perspective view of a test head in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a front view of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2,wherein the rear view is a mirror image of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 shows a right side view of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.2, wherein the left side view is a mirror image of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 shows a magnified perspective view of a test head in accordancewith another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows a bottom view of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows a front view of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 shows a left side view of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.6.

FIG. 10 shows a right side view of the exemplary embodiment shown inFIG. 6.

FIG. 11 shows a magnified perspective view of a test head in accordancewith another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 12 shows a bottom view of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.11.

FIG. 13 shows a front view of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 11,wherein the rear view is a mirror image of FIG. 13.

FIG. 14 shows a right side view of the exemplary embodiment shown inFIG. 11, wherein the left side view is a mirror image of FIG. 14.

FIG. 15 shows a magnified perspective view of a test head in accordancewith another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 16 shows a bottom view of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.15.

FIG. 17 shows a front view of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 15,wherein the rear view is a mirror image of FIG. 17.

FIG. 18 shows a right side view of the exemplary embodiment shown inFIG. 15, wherein the left side view is a mirror image of FIG. 18.

FIG. 19 depicts a skin testing device in accordance with anotherexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary tray that can be used in conjunctionwith the embodiment shown in FIG. 19.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

While this disclosure is susceptible of embodiments in many differentforms, there are shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail exemplary embodiments with the understanding that the presentdisclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principlesof the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of theinvention to the embodiments illustrated.

The embodiments disclosed herein are adaptations of the neurologicalgate-control theory to help reduce the amount of pain felt by thepatient during allergy skin testing. The neurological gate-controltheory involves the activation of nerve cells that block paintransmission resulting in pain suppression. This theory of painacknowledges that activation of nerves that do not transmit pain signalscan restrict transmission signals from pain fibers and inhibit painperception.

As shown in FIG. 1, an exemplary skin test device 10 is shown having aplurality of test legs 12, although a device with a single leg is alsocontemplated as will be further described below in relation to FIG. 19.The skin test device 10 has an elongated grip portion 18 for holding thedevice. The test legs 12 extend from the grip 18 and are spaced andoriented to come into contact with corresponding wells 16 containingtest solutions or allergens prior to being placed into contact with theskin of a patient. Each of the test legs 12 can be formed of a rigidplastic material, such that during testing the legs 12 do not flexrelative to each other and the grip portion 18.

The skin test device 10 can be provided with an extension 22, which canbe formed in the shape of a “T” on the elongated grip 18 to ensure thatthe skin test device 10 is placed into the wells 16 in the properorientation as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,071 to Hein, which isfully incorporated herein by reference.

Each elongated gripping portion 18 can be provided with one or more testheads 14, which are described in more detail below. Each of the testheads 14 are preferably shaped for being dipped into a series of wells16. When the test heads 14 are placed into the wells 16, the testsolution in the corresponding well 16 adheres to the corresponding testhead 14 by capillary attraction. The test heads 14, which can beapproximately 0.15 in. in diameter, are configured to be placed intocontact with a patient's skin to apply the test solution and todetermine whether the patient reacts positively to a particularallergen—indicating that the patient is allergic to that allergen.

The series of wells 16 each have a reservoir for receiving testsolutions such as potential allergens or control solutions. A differenttest solution, such as an allergen or a control solution is placed intoeach reservoir, e.g., by using a dropper or any other suitable methodknown in the art. Each reservoir is sized and oriented to receive aseparate test head 14 of the skin test device 10. The test wells 16 canbe provided with guide tabs 20 for preventing the reversing of the skintest device 10 position in the wells 16.

FIG. 19 shows an exemplary test device 610 which can be formed as asingle leg or unitary testing device. The test device 610 can be formedwith a singular test head 614, which can be formed with any of theexemplary test heads described herein. The test device 610 can include acollar 622 which ensures that the test head 614 extends to theappropriate level into the test solution in a respective well. Thesingular test head 614 can be used in conjunction with the tray 650 asdepicted in FIG. 20. Tray 650 can be provided with a well holderconfigured to hold a plurality of test-solution wells for receivingvarious test solutions for loading multiple tests. One example of a trayand testing device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,922,672, which isincorporated herein fully by reference.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an exemplary test head, which can beused in conjunction with the skin test device 10 shown in FIG. 1. Thetest head of FIGS. 2-5 can be located at each end of the test legs 12 asshown in FIG. 1. The test head is provided with a plurality of elongatedspikes 202 each having a sharp pointed end 204. The elongated spikes 202can be formed in the shape of a pyramid or generally formed in the shapeof a pyramid which may include other pyramid-like shapes, cones, orstructures that converge to a single point to form a structure that isconfigured to penetrate skin to perform an allergy test. The elongatedspikes 202 can also be formed with a base having a square shape. It isnoted, however, that other suitable shapes of the elongated spikes 202are also contemplated.

The exemplary test head shown in FIGS. 2-5 also has a touch activatorformed as a touch post 206, which can be formed as a cylinder with ablunt convex top end 208. It is noted, however, that other suitableshapes of the touch post 206 are also contemplated. The blunt convex end208 can be configured slightly longer than the elongated spikes 202 suchthat the convex end 208 of the touch post 206 makes contact with thepatient's skin prior to the sharp pointed ends 204 of the elongatedspikes 202.

As shown in FIG. 3, which is a bottom view of the exemplary test head,the test head can be provided with six elongated spikes 202; however, itis contemplated that different numbers of spikes can be used toaccomplish acceptable allergy test results. For example, it is believedthat the test head ideally may have between 3 and 6 spikes, but withsmaller skin reactions with less than 6 spikes. The elongated spikes 202can be arranged circumferentially around the touch post 206. However,other arrangements of the elongated spikes 202 and the touch post 206are also contemplated. The arrangement shown in FIGS. 2-5 advantageouslyprovides uniform loads of testing solutions on each test head duringtesting.

FIGS. 6-10 show another embodiment of an exemplary test head, which canbe used in conjunction with the skin test device 10 shown in FIG. 1.Again the exemplary head shown in FIGS. 6-10 can be located at each ofthe ends of the legs 12 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 shows a bottom view ofthe exemplary embodiment of the test head in FIG. 6. This embodiment issimilar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-5. However, in thisembodiment, the touch activator is formed as a touch collar 308. Also,as shown in FIGS. 6-10, the touch collar 308 is shaped with a convexouter surface 310A and a concave inner surface 310B and has a generallyflat top surface.

In addition, the touch collar 308 is arranged off center on the testhead on a first side, and the elongated spikes 302 are arranged on asecond side. As shown in FIG. 7, the touch collar 308 is locatedradially outward from the center of the test head, and the elongatedspikes 302 can be located radially outward from the center of the testhead in the opposite direction from the touch collar 308. The elongatedspikes 302 can be located as far away from the touch collar 308 aspossible on the test head at a distance less than the diameter of thetest head. In this embodiment, the placement of the elongated spikes areconfigured to conform to the circumference of the test head for ease ofinjection and to generally provide a maximum space between the touchactivator 308 and the elongated spikes 302 to provide for a reduction ofpain. This allows the elongated spikes 302 to penetrate the skin as muchas possible, while maximizing the height of the touch activator 308 toprovide for adequate pain reduction during testing. In addition, theouter convex surface 310A can generally follow the circumference of thetest head. The concave inner surface 310B can follow the same curvatureof the outer convex surface 310A. The touch collar 308 can also beformed with a tapered portion such that the touch collar is tapered fromits base to its end portion. As shown in FIG. 7, a triangulararrangement is one suitable arrangement of the elongated spikes 302.However, again other arrangements of the elongated spikes 302 are alsocontemplated.

FIGS. 11-14 show another exemplary test head, which can be used inconjunction with the skin test device 10 shown in FIG. 1. Thisembodiment is similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6-10. However, inthis embodiment two touch activators formed as touch collars 408 arearranged off center on the test head or radially outward from the centerand on opposite sides of the test head, and the elongated spikes 402 arearranged radially inward closer to the center of the test head. As shownin FIG. 12, the test head can be formed with four elongated spikemembers 402 having sharp pointed ends 404 that are arranged in a diamondshaped pattern. The elongated spikes 402 can be arranged at a distancefrom the touch collars 408, which is less than the radius of the testhead. Additionally, like in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6-10, theouter convex surfaces 410A of the touch collars 408 can generally followthe circumference of the test head. Likewise, the concave inner surfaces410B can follow the same curvature of the outer convex surfaces 410A.The touch collars 408 can also be formed with a tapered portion.

FIGS. 15-18 show another exemplary test head, which can be used inconjunction with the skin test device 10 shown in FIG. 1. Thisembodiment is similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11-14; however,in this embodiment there are six elongated spikes 502 arranged in tworows of three. The elongated spikes 502 can be arranged at a distancefrom the touch collars 508, which is less than the radius of the testhead. Additionally, like in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11-14, theouter convex surfaces 510A of touch collars 508 generally follow thecircumference of the test head and the inner concave surfaces 510B canfollow the same curvature. The touch collars 508 can also be formed witha tapered portion.

Again, the shapes and arrangements of the components described in theembodiments above are merely exemplary; other shapes and arrangementsare also contemplated. In each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2-18,the touch activators are longer than the elongated spikes, such that thetouch activators always come into contact with the patient's skin priorto the elongated spikes. This is necessary to provide adequate pain gatecontrol or activation of nerve cells that block pain transmission, whichresults in pain suppression.

In the above embodiments, each of the elongated spikes can bemanufactured at the same length and can all be the same length shorterthan the touch activator(s). In addition, in the above embodiments, thetouch activators can be manufactured at the same height so that thetouch activators are the same length longer than the elongated spikes.However, arranging the elongated spikes at different lengths on the sameor different test heads is also contemplated. Also length variances mayoccur due to manufacturing capabilities. However, it is noted thatsetting the touch activators at the same length as the elongated spikeswill still produce satisfactory wheal sizes or allergy test results, butwithout the relief of pain to the patient.

The testing devices can be formed of a rigid plastic such as an acrylicpolymer. However, other suitable materials are also contemplated.Forming each of the test legs 12 and the test heads including the touchactivators and the elongated spikes of a rigid plastic material may alsoprovide more consistent and readable test results. By forming thetesting devices of a rigid plastic, during testing the legs 12 do notflex relative to each other and the grip portion 18, which provides moreconsistent test results. In this way, the testing device is configuredsuch that the test heads and the legs maintain the same spacing duringtesting. Also providing rigid spikes and touch activators may provide amore uniform penetration of the elongated spikes into the skin, whichallows for a more even distribution of the test solution into the skinproviding more readable reactions.

Forming each of the test legs 12 and the test heads including the touchactivators and the elongated spikes of a rigid plastic material may alsoprovide more uniform pain mitigation across the skin testing area.Because the test heads, the touch activators, and the elongated spikesall remain in a constant relationship with respect to one another, thepain mitigation effect remains constant in each location of skinpenetration. This provides more effective pain management and allows thepatient to be more comfortable during the testing.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in one exemplary process for using the system,the health care administrator of the test may place the test heads 14into the series of wells 16. The guide 20 in conjunction with theextension 22 on the elongated grip 18 ensures that the skin testingdevice 10 is placed into the wells 16 in the proper orientation reducingthe possibility of testing errors. The test heads 14 are configured toreceive test solutions, such as potential allergens or controlsolutions, from the series of wells 16. During use, the test heads 14are pressed firmly into contact with the skin of the patient. The testheads can be applied to the skin using a rocking motion such that theskin test device 10 is moved back and forth to provide the desiredamount of elongated spike penetration into the patient's skin. The touchactivators come into contact with the skin before the elongated spikes,such that the touch activators activate nerve tissue that blocks pain,resulting in a reduction of pain and/or discomfort during testing.During use, the elongated spikes of the test heads 14 puncture the skinand administer the allergens, but, the patient will feel less pain fromthe elongated spikes. The test administrator may subsequently interpretthe results to determine whether the patient is allergic to a particularallergen.

A similar testing method can be implemented using the allergy testingdevice 610 depicted in FIG. 19. However in this example, multipletesting devices 610 may be used to test multiple test sites for variousallergenic reactions.

It is also contemplated that the test heads can be loaded with solutionusing other techniques, such as by individually loading the test headswith a series of droppers. The Dip N' Touch® liquid dispenser offered byLincoln Diagnostics Inc. is another example test solution loadingtechnique. This technique involves loading individual test heads using amodified dropper having a wider opening near the end. In this way, theadministrator of the test can simply touch the test head with thesolution in the end of the dropper to load the particular test head withsolution.

During the testing, the touch activators located on the test heads, willpick up solution along with the elongated spikes when the test heads areplaced in the dipwell. In this way, slightly less test solution ispicked up than in other allergy testing devices, and the touchactivators interact with the elongated spikes in such a way that a veryuniform load results. The arrangement of the touch activators and thespikes on the test heads results in a uniform load due to the capillaryattraction of the test solution on both the touch activator and theelongated spikes.

The embodiment in FIG. 19 utilizes minimal material, and therefore, mayprovide cost savings for the purchasing allergist. In particular, thesingle leg test device 610 enables the allergist to test skin at a lowercost per test site. However, conducting eight tests simultaneously usingthe example shown in FIG. 1 may have certain economic advantages. Forexample, if the allergist has to conduct many tests, the example shownin FIG. 1 may be a more viable option to administer tests quicker andmore efficiently.

Another potential advantage of the example shown in FIG. 19 is that testsites can be placed further apart, which may provide more readableresults. However, the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 may provide virtuallypainless skin testing with large and easy to read reactions that mayhave less variation between users than the testing conducted with thesingle leg device shown in FIG. 19.

In the exemplary embodiments disclosed in FIGS. 2-18, the touchactivators activate nerve cells that inhibit pain, while sharp refinedpoints apply the test solution. The refined points provide well-definedwheals with very little tissue trauma. This design provides highsensitivity, high specificity, and low variability in results withlittle pain felt by the patient. The test head configuration describedherein may also decrease skin trauma.

It has been discovered that there is an ideal distance between the topof the touch activators and the ends of the elongated spikes forrealizing pain suppression, while also gaining sufficient penetration ofthe pointed ends. Lengths of touch activators in the range ofapproximately 0.005 in. to 0.010 in. longer than the elongated spikes(when measured from the top of the touch activator to the tip or sharppoint of the elongated spikes) provide acceptable results. As discussedbelow, providing touch activators that are 0.007 in. to 0.010 in. longerthan the elongated spikes provided the best test results for thedisclosed embodiments while suppressing meaningful pain felt by thesubjects. As further discussed below, a difference in length of 0.010in. between the touch activators and elongated spikes provided the bestobserved results. However, it may be the case that different distancesbetween the top of the touch activators and the ends of the elongatedspikes are suitable in other arrangements and configurations of allergyskin testing devices. The test results are described below in moredetail.

In the first test, the top of the touch activators were manufacturedflush with the ends of the elongated spikes. No pain relief wasobserved, but the tests provided satisfactory wheal sizes from histamineat 1 mg/ml.

In the second test, the top of the touch activators were manufactured0.003 in. longer than the ends of the elongated spikes. No pain reliefwas observed; however, the tests provided satisfactory wheal sizes fromhistamine.

In the third test, the top of the touch activators were manufactured0.005 in. longer than the ends of the elongated spikes. Some reductionof pain was observed, and the tests provided satisfactory wheal sizes.

In the fourth test, the top of the touch activators were manufactured0.007 in. longer than the ends of the elongated spikes. A meaningfulreduction of pain was observed, and the tests provided satisfactorywheal sizes.

In the fifth test, the top of the touch activators were manufactured0.010 in. longer than the ends of the elongated spikes. Virtually nopain was observed by the subjects, and the tests provided satisfactorywheal sizes that averaged 7 mm in diameter with very low variation inwheal sizes.

Incorporating the touch activators on the same test head as theelongated spikes provides many benefits. Previously, many allergistsplaced drops of extract on the skin and then pricked through the skin atthe drops with a metal point; however, this practice is no longer widelyused. Most doctors handling allergy diagnosis use self-loading devicesthat involve immersion of the points into testing solutions, allowingthe points to load via capillary attraction. By incorporating the painsuppresser near the pain producer on the same test head, the skintesting devices can be immersed easily into the wells 16 shown inFIG. 1. The dimensions of the exemplary skin testing devices disclosedherein can remain the same as those on other skin testing devicescurrently manufactured, such as those by the current assignee LincolnDiagnostics, Inc. Consequently, the elongated spikes of the skin testingdevices disclosed herein can be dipped into the currently existingwells.

Also by incorporating the touch activator and the elongated spikes onthe same test head, it is simpler to inspect the devices for compliancewith the critical length dimensions described above and to package them.In contrast, the use of pain suppressers separated from each test headwould make inspection more complex and require larger and more complexunit containers.

Additionally including the elongated spikes and the touch activators onthe same test head provides a more compact and simplified design. Thecloser the touch activator is located to the elongated spikes, thegreater the ability of the touch activator to inhibit pain. In otherwords, the required surface area of the touch activator to inhibit painis proportional to the distance to the elongated spikes, which meansthat the greater the distance between the elongated spikes and the touchactivator, the larger the surface area the touch activator must be forpain mitigation. Therefore, including the touch activator on the testhead permits distance between the elongated spikes and the touchactivator to be smaller and subsequently permits the surface area of thetouch activator to also be smaller, which provides for a more compactdesign of the testing device.

Additionally, forming the skin test device of a rigid plastic materialand including the touch activators on the same test head as theelongated spikes also provides for certain advantages. For example, aprecise control of the distance between the length of the touch postsand the length of the points when contacting the skin can be achieved.The touch activator and the elongated spikes can be configured tomaintain the same spacing during testing. Also a high level of paincontrol over the entire length of the testing device can be establishedbecause each test head contains a touch post. Otherwise without thesefeatures, the touch sensation may vary from site to site due to thevariability of skin contour and subsequent penetration of the elongatedspikes.

Devices that employ the pain suppressers separated from the test headare difficult and impractical to use with existing wells containing testsolutions. In these devices, it would also be difficult to accomplishreliable self-loading of allergen extracts via capillary attraction.Additionally, less plastic is used when the touch activator and theelongated spikes are incorporated onto the same test head. This providesa skin test device that is less expensive to manufacture.

Also, for the skin testing devices disclosed herein, the amount of testsolution is less in volume than that for the previous skin testingdevices because of the arrangement of the elongated spikes and the touchactivators. The end result is more test sites from a 5 ml vial of testsolutions, such as allergens, allergenic extracts, and controls.

One exemplary embodiment includes an allergy testing system having askin test device. The skin test device can include an elongated gripportion for holding the device and a plurality of legs extending fromthe grip. The plurality of legs can be spaced and oriented to interactwith a plurality of wells containing test solutions. Each of theplurality of legs can have a test head, each test head can include aplurality of elongated spikes each having a sharp end configured toreceive the test solution from a well and to puncture skin to deliverthe test solution. Each test head may include at least one touchactivator. The touch activator can be longer than the plurality ofelongated spikes, such that during an allergy test, the touch activatorcan be configured to come into contact with the skin prior to theelongated spikes, to cause the touch activators to activate nerve tissuethat suppresses transmission of pain, resulting in a reduction of painduring testing. The plurality of legs can be configured such that thetest heads maintain the same spacing during testing. Both the touchactivator and the plurality of elongated spikes can be configured tocome into contact with the test solutions and are configured to receivethe test solutions by capillary attraction. The skin test device can beformed rigid to maintain the same spacing between each of the pluralityof legs during testing. The skin test device can be configured toprovide uniform pain management across the skin. The test heads can beconfigured to provide uniform penetration of the elongated spikes on theskin. The spacing between the elongated spikes and the touch activatorcan be configured to remain constant.

In another example, a skin test device can include a grip portion forholding the skin test device and at least one leg extending from thegrip portion. Each leg can be oriented to interact with a wellcontaining a test solution. The at least one leg can have a test headhaving a plurality of elongated spikes and at least one touch activator.The plurality of elongated spikes can each have a sharp end configuredto receive the test solution from a well and to puncture skin fordelivering the test solution. The touch activator and the elongatedspikes can be configured to maintain the same spacing during testing.The touch activator can be longer than the plurality of elongatedspikes, such that during an allergy test, the touch activator can beconfigured to come into contact with the skin prior to the elongatedspikes, to cause the touch activator to activate nerve tissue thatsuppresses pain, resulting in a reduction of pain during testing. Theskin test device can be formed rigid. Both the touch activator and theplurality of elongated spikes can be configured to come into contactwith the test solutions and can be configured to receive the testsolutions by capillary attraction. The spacing between the elongatedspikes and the touch activator can be configured to remain constant. Theskin test device can be configured to provide uniform pain managementacross the skin. Test head can be configured to provide uniformpenetration for the elongated spikes on the skin.

Given the benefit of the above disclosure and description of exemplaryembodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatnumerous alternative and different embodiments are possible in keepingwith the general principles of the invention disclosed here. Thoseskilled in this art will recognize that all such various modificationsand alternative embodiments are within the true scope and spirit of theinvention. The appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications and alternative embodiments. It should be understood thatthe use of a singular indefinite or definite article (e.g., “a,” “an,”“the,” etc.) in this disclosure and in the following claims follows thetraditional approach in patents of meaning “at least one” unless in aparticular instance it is clear from context that the term is intendedin that particular instance to mean specifically one and only one.Likewise, the term “comprising” is open ended, not excluding additionalitems, features, components, etc.

What is claimed is:
 1. An allergy testing system comprising: a skin testdevice comprising: an elongated grip portion for holding the device; aplurality of legs extending from the grip, the plurality of legs spacedand oriented to interact with a plurality of wells containing testsolutions; wherein each of the plurality of legs has a test head, eachtest head comprising a plurality of elongated spikes each having a sharpend configured to receive the test solution from a well and to punctureskin to deliver the test solution, each test head further comprising atleast one touch activator, wherein the touch activator is longer thanthe plurality of elongated spikes, such that during an allergy test, thetouch activator is configured to come into contact with the skin priorto the elongated spikes, to cause the touch activators to activate nervetissue that suppresses transmission of pain, resulting in a reduction ofpain during testing and the plurality of legs being configured such thatthe test heads maintain the same spacing during testing.
 2. The allergytesting system of claim 1, wherein both the touch activator and theplurality of elongated spikes are configured to come into contact withthe test solutions and are configured to receive the test solutions bycapillary attraction.
 3. The allergy testing system of claim 1, whereinthe skin test device is formed rigid to maintain the same spacingbetween each of the plurality of legs during testing.
 4. The allergytesting system of claim 1, wherein the skin test device is configured toprovide uniform pain management across the skin.
 5. The allergy testingsystem of claim 1, wherein the test heads are configured to provideuniform penetration of the elongated spikes on the skin.
 6. The allergytesting system of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the elongatedspikes and the touch activator is configured to remain constant.
 7. Anskin test device comprising: an elongated grip portion for holding thedevice; a plurality of legs extending from the grip, the plurality oflegs spaced and oriented to interact with a plurality of wellscontaining test solutions; wherein each of the plurality of legs has atest head comprising a plurality of elongated spikes and at least onetouch activator; and wherein the touch activator is longer than theplurality of elongated spikes, such that during an allergy test, thetouch activator is configured to come into contact with the skin priorto the elongated spikes, to cause the touch activators to activate nervetissue that suppresses transmission of pain, resulting in a reduction ofpain during testing and the plurality of legs being configured such thatthe test heads maintain the same spacing during testing.
 8. The skintest device of claim 7 wherein the skin test device is formed rigid. 9.The skin test device of claim 7, wherein both the touch activator andthe plurality of elongated spikes are configured to come into contactwith the test solutions and are configured to receive the test solutionsby capillary attraction.
 10. The skin test device of claim 8, whereinplurality of legs are formed rigid to maintain the same spacing.
 11. Theskin test device of claim 7, wherein the test heads provide uniform painmanagement across the skin.
 12. The skin test device of claim 7, whereinthe test heads are configured to provide uniform penetration for theelongated spikes on the skin.
 13. The skin test device of claim 7,wherein the spacing between the elongated spikes and the touch activatoris configured to remain constant.
 14. A skin test device comprising: agrip portion for holding the skin test device; at least one legextending from the grip portion, each leg oriented to interact with awell containing a test solution; and wherein the at least one leg has atest head comprising a plurality of elongated spikes and at least onetouch activator, the plurality of elongated spikes each have a sharp endconfigured to receive the test solution from a well and to puncture skinfor delivering the test solution, the touch activator and the elongatedspikes are configured to maintain the same spacing during testing, andthe touch activator is longer than the plurality of elongated spikes,such that during an allergy test, the touch activator is configured tocome into contact with the skin prior to the elongated spikes, to causethe touch activator to activate nerve tissue that suppresses pain,resulting in a reduction of pain during testing.
 15. The skin testdevice of claim 14 further comprising a rigid body.
 16. The skin testdevice of claim 14, wherein both the touch activator and the pluralityof elongated spikes are configured to come into contact with the testsolutions and are configured to receive the test solutions by capillaryattraction.
 17. The skin test device of claim 14, wherein the spacingbetween the elongated spikes and the touch activator is configured toremain constant.
 18. The skin test device of claim 14, wherein the testhead is configured to provide uniform penetration of the elongatedspikes on the skin.